Glassware and silverware steamer

ABSTRACT

A device for steaming utensils includes a frame including a plurality of side walls having a ledge forming an interior perimeter of the frame and a flange protruding horizontally from the upper surface of each side wall and toward the exterior of the frame. The frame having open upper and bottom ends. A heating deck having opposing containment walls adjacent to opposing loading walls is arranged beneath the frame. A fluid reservoir is arranged within the frame and has a plurality of side walls adjacent to the frame side walls extending toward the inner perimeter of the frame past the ledge toward the heating deck and is enclosed by a reservoir bottom. The fluid reservoir contains a fluid which is heated to generate steam that impacts at least one rack containing utensils arranged on the frame. The steam from the fluid reservoir facilitates polishing of the utensils.

BACKGROUND

In the food service industry, and particularly in fine dining establishments, cleanliness of the eating utensils including glassware and silverware is of paramount importance. Even after cleaning of the utensils in commercial washing machines or by hand washing, it is common for smudges, water spots, lipstick and fingerprints to be retained on the surface, thus requiring the service staff to manually polish each utensil. To assist with polishing, the staff often steams the utensils. This is accomplished either through use of an electric steaming device, similar to a tea kettle, which directs steam against individual articles of glassware or silverware, or by arranging a number of utensils in a plastic or metal bin which contains hot water to generate steam for the articles in the bin. Using either technique increases the time and labor to obtain properly cleaned utensils.

SUMMARY

The present invention was developed in order to provide a more economical, durable and simply designed steaming device for simultaneously polishing a large number of glassware/silverware articles arranged in conventional commercial racks or trays with a minimum of training for hospitality staff already familiar with devices such as chafing dishes.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the invention to provide a device for steaming utensils such as glassware and silverware including a frame having a plurality of side walls and a ledge or lip forming an interior perimeter, and, if desired, with a flange protruding horizontally from the upper surface of each side wall and toward the exterior of the frame to provide an additional support surface. The frame may be open at its upper and bottom ends with a heating deck including opposing containment walls adjacent to opposing loading walls arranged beneath the frame. A plurality of legs may connect the frame to the heating deck, and a fluid reservoir may be arranged within the frame.

A fluid reservoir may have a plurality of side walls adjacent to the frame side walls extending toward the inner perimeter of the frame past the ledge toward the heating deck and enclosed by a reservoir bottom. The fluid in the reservoir may contain fluid to generate steam which exits the frame's open end to steam a plurality of utensils arranged in trays or racks stacked on the device. The steam moistens and warms the utensils to facilitate polishing of the utensils prior to use. The heating deck preferably contains at least one heating device such as a canister containing a flammable composition, gas, or electric heat source which can be operated when the device is in use to heat the fluid in the reservoir and extinguished when the device is not in use.

According to a further object of the invention, the upper edges of the frame and reservoir side walls of the device include flanges which mate with each other and a bottom edge of the utensil racks stacked on the device so that the stacked racks are stable and define an open topped chamber in which a plurality of utensils are steamed simultaneously.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and constitute part of this specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention, and together with the general description given above and the detailed description given below, serve to explain the features of the invention.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a study of the following specification when viewed in the light of the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a glassware and silverware steaming device according to an embodiment of the invention, without a fluid reservoir inserted;

FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a glassware and silverware steaming device according to an embodiment of the invention with a fluid reservoir inserted;

FIG. 3 is a front view of a glassware and silverware steaming device according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are front and top views, respectively, of a rack for holding a plurality of utensils to be steamed; and

FIG. 6 is a front view of the steaming device of FIGS. 1 and 3 having a plurality of racks of FIGS. 4 and 5 stacked thereon.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The various embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. References made to particular examples and implementations are for illustrative purposes, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention or the claims.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementation described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other implementations.

The drawings are not drawn to scale. Multiple instances of an element may be duplicated where a single instance of the element is illustrated, unless absence of duplication of elements is expressly described or clearly indicated otherwise. Ordinals such as “first,” “second,” and “third” are employed merely to identify similar elements, and different ordinals may be employed across the specification and the claims of the instant disclosure. As used herein, a first element located “on” a second element can be located on the exterior side of a surface of the second element or on the interior side of the second element. As used herein, a first element is located “directly on” a second element if there exist a direct physical contact between a surface of the first element and a surface of the second element. As used herein, an element is “configured” to perform a function if the structural components of the element are inherently capable of performing the function due to the physical and/or electrical characteristics thereof.

Steaming devices, such as those disclosed in EP Patent No. 1775216, GB patent No. 2307974 and JP patent No. 10234352 may enable steaming of various items. For example, EP patent No. 1775216, discloses a steaming device for food trays in which steam is delivered to the trays via air circulating ducts to moisten and warm the trays. While these devices operate satisfactorily, they do not afford simple and efficient polishing of a plurality of glasses or eating utensils.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 through 3, the steaming device 2 according to the invention will now be described. The device is particularly suitable for steaming utensils such as glassware and silverware, but can also be used to steam pots, pans, bowls and other kitchen implements used in the food service industry. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the device 2 includes a frame 4 having side walls 8 that may form a ledge 6 establishing an inner perimeter of the frame 4 being open at its upper and bottom ends and creating a frame opening 16. In some embodiments, the edge and/or upper surface of the ledge 6 may be lined with a padding material, such as silicone, foam, or rubber. The side walls 8 may also have frame flanges 10 that protrude horizontally outward from the upper surface of the side walls 8. The frame flanges 10 do not meet at their ends to create corners, rather they create frame gaps 12. The frame gaps 12 may be notches or other type openings that provide a horizontal surface below the horizontal plane of the frame flanges 10. The side walls 8 may be equal in length to form a square frame 4. In other embodiments, the side walls 8 may be different lengths to form a non-square frame 4, such as a rectangular frame.

Arranged beneath the frame 4 is a heating deck 24. The heating deck may have opposing containment walls 28 adjacent to opposing loading walls 26 to assist in retaining one or more heating devices. As shown in FIG. 3, the loading walls 26, which may be shorter in height than the containment walls 28, are designed so the heating device can be positioned and removed from the heating deck 24 with ease while providing a restraint to inadvertent discharge of the heating device. In an embodiment of the invention, the heating device may be one or more portable and replaceable canisters 22 containing a flammable composition which may be activated when the device is in use and extinguished when not in use (e.g., a Sterno® cooking fuel can). Any number of portable and replaceable canisters 22 may be used, such as one, two, three, four, five, or more portable and replaceable canisters 22. The height of the loading walls 26 and containment walls 28 also may be designed to allow air to circulate to the heating device, such as canister 22, for purposes of combustion. Other suitable heating devices such as one or more electric coils or one or more gas burner may also be used for the heating devices on the heating deck 24.

A plurality of legs 18 connect the frame 4 to the heating deck 24. In particular, the plurality of legs 18 connect the plurality of frame side walls 8 to the loading and containment walls of the heating deck 24 by fasteners 20. The fasteners 20 may include welding methods, molding methods, soldering, screws, bolts and nuts, or rivets. The steaming device 2 may be formed of any suitable rigid material such as metal and/or synthetic plastic.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, a fluid reservoir 30, 38 may be arranged within the frame 4, having a plurality of side walls 34, 42 extending from the frame side walls 8 toward the inner perimeter of the frame 4 and toward the heating deck 24 and enclosed by a reservoir bottom 32, 40. When inserted into the frame 4, the fluid reservoir 30, 38 may extend past the ledge 6 or may not extend past the ledge 6. When inserted into the frame 4, the fluid reservoir 30, 38 may extend toward the heating deck 24 and below the horizontal plane created by the bottom of the side walls 8 or the fluid reservoir 30, 38 may not extend below the horizontal plane created by the bottom of the side walls 8.

Preferably, the bottom 32, 40 of the fluid reservoir 30, 38 may be formed of a heat transmissive material such as metal to effectively conduct heat from the heating device to a fluid, preferably water, arranged in the reservoir. The fluid is heated by the heating device to generate steam which exits the fluid reservoir 30, 38 through the open frame opening 16. The fluid reservoir 30, 38 may be any shape. For example the fluid reservoir 30, 38 may be configured as a trapezoidal fluid reservoir 30, 38 where a top opening of the fluid reservoir 30, 38 is larger than the bottom 32, 40 as caused by the sloping of the walls of the fluid reservoir 30,38 away from the bottom 32,40. While illustrated as a square, fluid reservoir 30, 38 may be any shape, such as a square, rectangle, etc., and the shape of the fluid reservoir 30, 38 may be selected to match the shape of the frame 4.

In an embodiment of the invention, a fluid reservoir 30 is a top suspended reservoir having reservoir walls 34 with reservoir flanges 36 that protrude horizontally outward from the upper surface of the reservoir walls 34. The reservoir flanges 36 may, for example, meet together at a corner 37 or may stop short of forming a corner as both are illustrated in FIG. 2. The reservoir flanges 36, when laid upon the frame flanges 10, suspend the reservoir above the heating deck 24, and the corner 37 embodiment may make it easier to remove the reservoir from the frame 4. In such an embodiment where the reservoir flanges 36 are laid upon the frame flanges 10, the edge 6 establishing an inner perimeter of the frame 4 may be optional as the fluid reservoir 30 may be fully supported by the frame flanges 10.

In another embodiment, a fluid reservoir 38 is a side suspended reservoir having reservoir walls 42 adjacent to the inside of the frame walls 8 extending toward the inner perimeter of the frame 4 and suspended by the ledge 6, and having a reservoir bottom 40 as illustrated in FIG. 3. In this embodiment, each of the opposed frame side walls 8 of the frame 4 preferably contain an opening 14 which a user may use to lift the frame 4. In addition, the openings 14 provide an alternate way for adding fluid to the fluid reservoir 38 as will be discussed below. The fluid reservoir 38 may be similar to fluid reservoir 30, except that the reservoir walls 42 and reservoir bottom 40 may be configured such that the fluid reservoir 38 may has a perimeter that is smaller than the perimeter of the opening defined by the side walls 8. In this manner, the fluid reservoir 38 may fit entirely within the side walls 8 and be supported by the ledge 6. In some embodiments, the fluid reservoir 38 may have reservoir walls 42 tapered toward the reservoir bottom 40 from the top opening of the fluid reservoir, for example in the general shape of a trapezoid. The top opening of the fluid reservoir 38 may have a perimeter larger than the inner perimeter of the opening defined by the ledge 6 and may be supported by the ledge 6, such as by friction of the ledge 6 against the reservoir walls 40 and/or by a lip or other protrusion of the fluid reservoir 38. FIG. 6 illustrates a fluid reservoir supported in such a manner within the frame of the steaming device 2.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, a stackable tray or rack or 44 for holding a plurality of utensils will now be described. The rack includes a bottom wall 46 in the form of a grate containing a plurality of openings 48 and a plurality of side walls 50 connected with the bottom wall. The side walls are preferably solid without any openings. The top of the rack is open to receive a plurality of utensils such as glasses 52 which fit into compartments defined by interior walls 54 of the rack. The racks are preferably formed of a lightweight rigid material such as synthetic plastic. Other types of racks with different interior configurations may be provided to receive silverware, bowls, plates, pans, or other kitchen utensils which are to be steamed for polishing.

The steaming device 2 is designed to support one or more racks, such as a plurality of stackable racks as shown in FIG. 6. The steaming device 2 may support 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or more racks stacked on one another. Preferably, the reservoir flanges 36, which are laid upon the frame flanges 10, or the frame flanges 10 are configured to mate with the bottom peripheral edge of the racks 44. This allows a plurality of racks to be stacked on the device. With water arranged in the fluid reservoir of the steaming device 2, the heating elements on the heating deck 24 are activated to heat the water and generate steam. The steam rises from the device 2 and is transported through a column of stacked racks defined by the solid side walls of the racks. With each rack containing a plurality of utensils, the utensils can be uniformly warmed and steamed simultaneously with a higher level of sanitation and less water waste than is obtained with prior steaming devices and practices. This insures that the utensils can be polished more effectively by the kitchen staff. In addition, the openings 14 in the side walls of the device 2 afford an alternate venue for replenishing the water in the fluid reservoir.

The steaming device 2 may fit on a standard glassware/silverware trolley or cart 56 which has wheels 58 which allow the entire assembly shown in FIG. 6 to be easily transported from a kitchen to a dining area so the dining tables can be set with freshly cleaned utensils. Alternatively, wheels may be affixed directly to the steaming device 2 itself, such as on the legs 18. The bottom of the steaming device 2 has legs 18 that may be configured to engage with an upper peripheral edge of the racks 44 to elevate the steaming device 2 on top of the rack 44. Elevating the device 2 by e.g., one to four racks height above the floor level mitigates floor drafts, and makes it easier for the user to access the heating deck 24 to replace fuel canisters 22 or to add water to the fluid reservoirs 30, 38.

The preceding description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the claims. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims. Thus, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the following claims and the principles and novel features disclosed herein. 

1. An apparatus for steaming utensils, comprising (a) a metal frame including a plurality of side walls having a ledge forming an interior perimeter of the frame and a flange protruding horizontally from the upper surface of each side wall and toward the exterior of the frame, the frame being open at its upper and bottom ends; (b) a metal heating deck including opposing containment walls adjacent to opposing loading walls arranged beneath the frame; (c) a plurality of metal legs connecting the frame to the heating deck by a series of rigid fasteners; and (d) a fluid reservoir arranged within the frame and including a plurality of side walls adjacent to the frame side walls extending toward the interior perimeter of the frame past the ledge toward the heating deck and enclosed by a reservoir bottom, the fluid reservoir containing a fluid which is heated from the heating deck to generate steam which exits the frame open upper end, whereby when at least one rack containing utensils is arranged on the frame above the frame open upper end, the steam from the fluid reservoir cleanses the utensils to facilitate polishing thereof.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the heating deck includes at least one heat source.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the at least one heat source comprises a canister containing a flammable composition.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fluid reservoir is a top suspended reservoir that includes a reservoir flange protruding horizontally from the upper surface of each reservoir side wall and toward the exterior of the reservoir for contact with the frame flanges to suspend the reservoir over the heating deck.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the top suspended reservoir includes reservoir flanges that connect at the reservoir side wall intersections.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fluid reservoir is a side suspended reservoir that includes the plurality of reservoir side walls for contact with an edge of the ledge to suspend the reservoir over the heating deck.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein at least two opposed frame side walls each contain an opening allowing access to the fluid reservoir when a plurality of trays are arranged on the frame and together which allow a user to lift the frame.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ledge is located above an opening in each of at least two opposed frame side walls which together allow a user to lift the frame.
 9. The apparatus of claim 4, whereby the at least one rack of utensils is connected with the reservoir flanges to define an open top enclosure for steaming the utensils.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, and further comprising wheels connected with the legs, whereby the apparatus is mobile.
 11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the containment walls are taller than the loading walls.
 12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of legs are configured to connect with an upper peripheral edge of at least another rack to elevate the apparatus by the height of the at least another rack.
 13. An apparatus for steaming utensils, comprising (a) a metal frame including a plurality of side walls forming an interior perimeter of the frame, the frame being open at its upper and bottom ends; (b) a metal heating deck arranged beneath the frame; (c) a plurality of metal legs connecting the frame to the heating deck by a series of rigid fasteners; and (d) a fluid reservoir arranged at least partially within the frame and including a plurality of side walls adjacent to the frame side walls extending toward the interior perimeter of the frame toward the heating deck and enclosed by a reservoir bottom, the fluid reservoir containing a fluid which is heated from the heating deck to generate steam which exits the fluid reservoir and the frame open upper end, whereby when at least one rack containing utensils is arranged on the frame above the frame open upper end, the steam from the fluid reservoir cleanses the utensils to facilitate polishing thereof.
 14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the heating deck supports at least one removable heat source.
 15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the fluid reservoir is a top suspended reservoir that includes a reservoir flange protruding horizontally from the upper surface of each reservoir side wall and toward the exterior of the reservoir for contact with the plurality of side walls of the frame to suspend the reservoir over the heating deck.
 16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the plurality of legs are configured to connect with an upper peripheral edge of at least another rack to elevate the apparatus by the height of the at least another rack.
 17. An apparatus for steaming utensils, comprising (a) a frame including a plurality of side walls forming an interior perimeter of the frame, the frame being open at its upper and bottom ends; (b) a heating deck arranged beneath the frame; (c) a plurality of legs connecting the frame to the heating deck by a series of rigid fasteners; (d) a fluid reservoir arranged at least partially within the frame and including a plurality of side walls adjacent to the frame side walls extending toward the interior perimeter of the frame toward the heating deck and enclosed by a reservoir bottom, the fluid reservoir containing a fluid which is heated from the heating deck to generate steam which exits the fluid reservoir and the frame open upper end; and (e) at least one rack containing utensils arranged on the frame above the frame open upper end such that the steam from the fluid reservoir cleanses the utensils to facilitate polishing thereof, wherein the fluid reservoir is a side suspended reservoir that includes the plurality of reservoir side walls for contact with an edge of the ledge to suspend the reservoir over the heating deck, and wherein at least two opposed frame side walls each contain an opening allowing access to the fluid reservoir through the opening. 